1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to luggage and more particularly to a bottom plate assembly for wheeled luggage.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, wheeled luggage comprises a plastic frame and a canopy enclosed thereon. Further, the plastic frame, wheel assembly, and handle assembly are closely related in the configuration. As such, the construction of a bottom plate assembly is very important to the quality and manufacturing cost of luggage.
A number of designs have been developed to improve the bottom plate assembly of luggage. For example, in Taiwanese Patent Publication Nos. 341,075, entitled xe2x80x9cStable Bottom Plate Assembly for Wheeled Luggagexe2x80x9d and 331,096, entitled xe2x80x9cImproved Bottom Plate Assembly for Wheeled Luggagexe2x80x9d, both are simply constructed and easy to assemble. But these are unsatisfactory for the purpose for which the present invention is concerned because the wheel bracket, bottom plate assembly, and frame are integrally formed. Currently, there is a variety of luggage commercially available, with each manufactured from a unique mold. In view of the foregoing, the cost of preparing molds is high. Further, the storage and management of such a variety of molds is burdensome to manufacturers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a detachable bottom plate assembly for wheeled luggage with simplified components and easy assembly features.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bottom plate assembly for wheeled luggage, wherein the bottom plate assembly comprises a support member and a foot sub-assembly both capable of being manufactured from a number of varied molds. As a result, a variety of bottom plate assemblies may be attached to corresponding luggage of conformed size. The drawback of conventionally preparing a variety of molds is eliminated, resulting in a reduction in manufacturing and maintenance costs.
To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a bottom plate assembly for wheeled luggage comprised of a support member having a Y-shaped plate and a foot sub-assembly having two feet and a bottom handle, wherein one pair of yoke members, extended from both ends of the Y-shaped plate, can be replaced by another pair of yoke members of a different size. Thus, a variety of luggage with different widths can be manufactured by simply replacing the original support member mold with another support member mold of a different size. Similarly, a variety of luggage with different lengths can be manufactured by simply replacing the original foot mold with another foot mold of different size.